European leaders hit back in Elon Musk meddling row
London (AFP) – European leaders expressed growing frustration with tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday, as a major row escalated between members of Britain's government and US president-elect Donald Trump's key ally.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed those "spreading lies and misinformation" following days of incendiary posts by Musk on his X platform over historical sex offences against children in northern England.
Musk, who is set for a role in Trump's administration, then accused the centre-left Labour leader of being "deeply complicit in the mass rapes" and "utterly despicable".
European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron have also weighed in against Musk.
He said the SpaceX boss was "directly intervening in elections", including in Germany where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned the Tesla boss for backing an extreme-right party.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Monday he found it "worrying" that someone with so much wealth and influence was getting involved in the politics of European countries.
Much of Musk's focus in recent days has been on Britain and historical scandals involving grooming gangs that first emerged during Starmer's 2008-2013 tenure as the country's top prosecutor.
The comments pose a major challenge for Starmer's government, as it tries to fend off growing support for the far-right while also seeking to maintain good relations with Trump's incoming administration.
Musk's tirade, which included demands for a new public inquiry into the scandal, has prompted some UK opposition politicians to join in the criticism and call for a fresh national probe.
'Lies'
The issue has long been seized upon by far-right figures including the imprisoned Tommy Robinson, one of Britain's best known far-right agitators, whom Musk has praised and said should be released from jail.
Responding to media questions on the topic, Starmer insisted he was "not going to individualise this to Elon Musk" but said "a line has been crossed" with some of the online criticism.
"Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they're not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves," Starmer told reporters, without naming Musk.
"I'm prepared to call out this for what it is. We've seen this playbook many times: the whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it."
The grooming scandal involved the widespread abuse of girls in northern English towns, including Rochdale, Rotherham and Oldham.
A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.
Subsequent official reports into how police and social workers failed to halt the abuse in some cases found that officials turned a blind eye to avoid appearing racist.
None of the probes singled out Starmer for blame or found that he had tried to block prosecutions.
'Erratic'
The issue reignited this month after it was reported that UK minister Jess Phillips had rejected Oldham council's request for a government-led inquiry in favour of a locally led investigation.
Musk has called Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and said she "deserves to be in prison".
Starmer has rejected calls by the main opposition Conservative party and the hard-right Reform UK party for a new public inquiry, saying an earlier independent probe had been "comprehensive".
Starmer said he had dealt with the problem "head-on" as a prosecutor and oversaw "the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record".
But Musk claimed Monday that Starmer and former prime minister Gordon Brown were among those complicit in the sex crimes, adding in one post that Brown "sold those little girls for votes".
"Prison for Starmer," he said in another.
Scholz on Saturday condemned Musk for "erratic" comments after the billionaire labelled the German leader an "incompetent fool" and came out in support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of snap elections on February 23.
Musk surprised many people in Britain on Sunday when he appeared to U-turn on his support for Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage, saying his anti-immigration Reform party "needs a new leader".⍐
Foreign Leaders—And The EU—Step Up Challenges To Musk As His Feuds With Global Politicians Heat Up
Sara Dorn
Forbes Staff
Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.
Derek Saul
Forbes Staff
Derek Saul has covered markets for the Forbes news team since 2021ST
Updated Jan 6, 2025, 11:37am EST
Topline
More European leaders voiced concern Monday about the world’s richest man Elon Musk’s increasingly outspoken stance on European political issues after the billionaire called on the UK’s right-wing Reform Party to replace leader Nigel Farage, attacked the UK’s left-leaning Prime Minister Keir Starmer and prepared for an interview with a far-right German leader on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),
Getty Images
Key Facts
The European Union is “looking into” whether Musk artificially “boosts” his Thursday interview with Alice Wiedel, leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, in the algorithm of his X social media platform, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron fueled more criticism about the blurred lines between Musk’s political outspokenness and his X ownership in a Monday speech: “Ten years ago, if anyone had said that the owner of one of the world’s largest social networks would support a new reactionary alliance and intervene directly in elections, even in Germany, who would have imagined it?”
Nowegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told the state-run outlet NRK in a Monday interview that “I find it worrying that a man with enormous access to social media and large financial resources is so directly involved in the internal affairs of other countries.”
The Musk pushback on the European mainland came after Musk targeted UK leadership over the weekend, writing Sunday on X, “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,” without elaborating on why he turned against the leader after meeting with him at Mar-A-Lago last month.
Musk’s discourse into UK politics comes after he has also publicly expressed support for conservatives in Germany, Italy and Canada
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Contra
Farage, calling Musk’s tweet a "surprise," suggested Musk was dissatisfied with Farage’s criticism of right-wing anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, who has a lengthy criminal record and is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court related to a libel case he lost for spreading false claims about a Syrian schoolboy. Musk, who generally takes a hardline stance against immigration, began interacting with Robinson in August, and has amplified his calls for Robinson to be freed in the past week, as he’s also taken interest in investigations into the UK’s handling of so-called “grooming gangs” found to have exploited children in towns in northern England. Farage—a longtime right-wing populist known for his push to leave the European Union—told Sky News on Friday Robinson “won’t be” joining the Reform Party, after saying last year he doesn’t want “anything to do with” Robinson and accusing him of attempts to “stir up hatred.” Farage stood by his criticism of Robinson on Sunday, writing on X in response to Musk, “my view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.” Farage called Musk a “remarkable individual” on X Sunday after saying last week he thinks Musk is a “hero” and crediting him with bringing back “free speech” by buying Twitter and doing away with many of its content moderation policies and reinstating banned accounts, including Robinson’s. Shortly after Musk’s meeting with Farage in December, Reform Party leaders said the Tesla CEO was one of several billionaires eyeing a donation to the party.
Key Background
Musk—whose net worth stands at nearly $430 billion—has increasingly flexed his political muscles in recent months, spending over $200 million of his own money to back Trump’s 2024 campaign. The billionaire, who once backed former President Barack Obama, has emerged as a key Trump ally since his election victory: He’s regularly seen alongside Trump at Mar-A-Lago, and is slated to run a cost-cutting “Department of Government Efficiency.” Musk has also taken an interest in international politics, speaking with a handful of foreign leaders and drawing controversy for reportedly communicating with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s also clashed with political figures in several countries, accepting an invitation to fight Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and feuding with a Brazilian Supreme Court judge who cut off access to X.
What Else Has Musk Said About Uk Politics?
Musk has frequently attacked Starmer in recent months, including for his response to riots and his handling of online hate speech. On Saturday, he called on King Charles to dissolve parliament and order a new general election after accusing Starmer of failing to properly punish “grooming gangs” while Starmer was director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. The right in the UK has used the investigations into the “grooming gangs” to attack the left-wing Labour Party that controls the British government, and the probes have become a rallying cry against immigration as the offenders are predominately British-Pakistani men.
How Has Musk Weighed In On Germany’s Politics?
Musk has expressed support for Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland party, known as the AfD, penning an opinion piece in a German newspaper last month that disputes characterizations of the party as “right-wing extremist.” Musk argued that Germany’s traditional political parties have prompted economic decline by becoming “comfortable with mediocrity” and wrote that “the AfD can save Germany from becoming a shadow of its former self.” The piece prompted widespread backlash, including the resignation of Welt am Sonntag’s opinion page editor Eva Marie Kogel in protest of its publication. AfD—known for its hardline views on immigration—is widely viewed as far-right, including by German officials. Musk said he will live-stream a discussion with AfD leader Alice Weidel next week ahead of the country’s snap election on Feb. 23 prompted by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.
What Has Musk Said About Italy?
Musk—who is a personal friend of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, founder of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party—rebuked Italian judges who struck down an anti-immigrant initiative in November, writing on X that the Rome judges “need to go.” Musk’s comments prompted President Sergio Mattarella to tell Musk he “must respect” Italy’s “sovereignty and cannot give himself the task of issuing it instructions.” Meloni met with Trump and Musk in December in Paris and Meloni visited Mar-A-Lago last week.
What Is Musk’s Stance On Canada?
Musk slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month after Trudeau likened Vice President Kamala Harris’ election loss to Trump as an attack against women’s rights, calling him an “insufferable tool” in a tweet and predicting he “won’t be in power for much longer.” (Trudeau announced Monday he would resign.) More recently, Musk praised an episode of the Jordan B. Peterson podcast featuring Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre as a “great interview” in a post on X. Trudeau said Monday he plans to resign as prime minister.
What Has Musk Said About Argentina?
Musk has backed Argentina’s newly elected President Javier Milei, an eccentric figure who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist. After the November US presidential election, the pair met at Mar-A-Lago.⍐
FACT SHEET: UnitedStates and India Elevate Strategic Partnership with the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology(iCET)
President Biden and Prime Minister Modi announced the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in May 2022 to elevate and expand our strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of our two countries.
The United States and India affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights. We are committed to fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem, based on mutual trust and confidence, that will reinforce our democratic values and democratic institutions.
Today, the two National Security Advisors led the inaugural meeting of the iCET in Washington, DC. They were joined on the U.S. side by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Executive Secretary of the National Space Council, and senior officials from the Department of State, Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Council. On the Indian side, the Ambassador of India to the United States, the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, the Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications, the Scientific Advisor to the Defense Minister, the Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organization, and senior officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Security Council Secretariat participated.
The two sides discussed opportunities for greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, co-development and coproduction, and ways to deepen connectivity across our innovation ecosystems. They noted the value of establishing “innovation bridges” in key sectors, including through expos, hackathons, and pitch sessions. They also identified the fields of biotechnology, advanced materials, and rare earth processing technology as areas for future cooperation.
The United States and India underlined their commitment to working to resolve issues related to regulatory barriers and business and talent mobility in both countries through a standing mechanism under iCET. This followed the January 30 roundtable hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other senior U.S. and Indian officials and brought together more than 40 CEOs, university presidents, and thought leaders from both countries to accelerate opportunities for increased technology cooperation.
To expand and deepen our technology partnership, the United States and India are launching new bilateral initiatives and welcoming new cooperation between our governments, industry and academia in the following domains:
Strengthening our Innovation Ecosystems
Signing a new Implementation Arrangement for a Research Agency Partnership between the National Science Foundation and Indian science agencies to expand international collaboration in a range of areas — including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and advanced wireless — to build a robust innovation ecosystem between our countries.
Establishing a joint Indo-U.S. Quantum Coordination Mechanism with participation from industry, academia, and government to facilitate research and industry collaboration.
Drawing from global efforts to develop common standards and benchmarks for trustworthy AI through coordinating on the development of consensus, multi-stakeholder standards, ensuring that these standards and benchmarks are aligned with democratic values.
Promoting collaboration on High Performance Computing (HPC), including by working with Congress to lower barriers to U.S. exports to India of HPC technology and source code.
Defense Innovation and Technology Cooperation
Developing a new bilateral Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to accelerate technological cooperation between both countries for the joint development and production, with an initial focus on exploring projects related to jet engines, munition related technologies, and other systems.
Noting the United States has received an application from General Electric to jointly produce jet engines that could power jet aircraft operated and produced indigenously by India. The United States commits to an expeditious review of this application.
Enhancing long-term research and development cooperation, with a focus on identifying maritime security and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) operational use cases.
Launching a new “Innovation Bridge” that will connect U.S. and Indian defense startups.
Resilient Semiconductor Supply Chains
Enhancing bilateral collaboration on resilient semiconductor supply chains; supporting the development of a semiconductor design, manufacturing, and fabrication ecosystem in India; and leveraging complementary strengths, both countries intend to promote the development of a skilled workforce that will support global semiconductor supply chains and encourage the development of joint ventures and technology partnerships on mature technology nodes and packaging in India.
Welcoming a task force organized by the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) in partnership with the India Electronics Semiconductor Association (IESA) with participation from the Government of India Semiconductor Mission to develop a “readiness assessment” to identify near-term industry opportunities and facilitate longer-term strategic development of complementary semiconductor ecosystems.
This task force will make recommendations to the Department of Commerce and the India Semiconductor Mission on opportunities and challenges to overcome in order to further strengthen India’s role within the global semiconductor value chain, and will also provide input to the U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue. The task force will also identify and facilitate workforce development, R&D including with respect to advanced packaging, and exchange opportunities to benefit both countries.
Space
Strengthening cooperation on human spaceflight, including establishing exchanges that will include advanced training for an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)/Department of Space astronaut at NASA Johnson Space Center.
Identifying innovative approaches for the commercial sectors of the two countries to collaborate, especially with respect to activities related to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project. Within the next year, NASA, with ISRO, will convene U.S. CLPS companies and Indian aerospace companies to advance this initiative.
Initiating new STEM talent exchanges by expanding the Professional Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program (PESEP) to include space science, Earth science, and human spaceflight and extending a standing invitation to ISRO to participate in NASA’s biannual International Program Management Course
Strengthening the bilateral commercial space partnership, including through a new U.S. Department of Commerce and Indian Department of Space-led initiative under the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group. This initiative will foster U.S.-India commercial space engagement and enable growth and partnerships between U.S. and Indian commercial space sectors.
Welcoming the visit this week by the ISRO Chairman to the United States, as well as a visit to India by the NASA Administrator later in 2023.
Expanding the agenda of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group to include planetary defense.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Talent:
Noting a new joint task force of the Association of American Universities and leading Indian educational institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology, which will make recommendations for research and university partnerships.
Next Generation Telecommunications:
Launching a public-private dialogue on telecommunications and regulations.
Advancing cooperation on research and development in 5G and 6G, facilitating deployment and adoption of Open RAN in India, and fostering global economies of scale within the sector.
The United States and India look forward to the next iCET meeting in New Delhi later in 2023. The National Security Councils of both countries will coordinate with their respective ministries, departments and agencies to work with their counterparts to advance cooperation, and to engage with stakeholders to deliver on ambitious objectives ahead of the next meeting.
US NSA Sullivan visits India amid power transition in Washington
Trip aims to consolidate India's role in US' strategy: expert
By Fan AnqiPublished: Jan 06, 2025US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in New Delhi. Indian media noted that Sullivan's trip comes amid power transition in Washington. Before the talks with Modi, Sullivan has met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as the two sides have discussed enhancing bilateral, regional and global cooperation, according to NDTV. In meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday, Sullivan has deliberated on the implementation of the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), billed as one of the very significant initiatives rolled out during Biden's presidency to expand India-US strategic ties, Indian media reported. In a speech at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Sullivan emphasized the growing strategic and economic partnership between the two nations. The Indian Today said Sullivan's speech painted an optimistic picture of the India-US partnership as a cornerstone of global stability and innovation. "Seeing the recent improvement in China-India ties, the US is worried that it may weaken India's role in containing China; therefore, the US hopes to take this opportunity to strengthen its relationship with India, reaffirm the foundation of their cooperation, and exploit potential issues to drive a wedge between Beijing and New Delhi," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday. During the final phase of the Biden administration, Sullivan's visit is also aimed at consolidating Biden's diplomatic legacy, Qian said. Over the past four years, US-India relations have developed comprehensively across various fields, driven primarily by Washington's geopolitical considerations, especially in Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy, in which India has played an important role, the expert explained. Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, added that Sullivan's visit also aims to draw India closer, encouraging the South Asian country to promote its functionality in QUAD and maintain a confrontational stance in its China policy. Meanwhile, by hyping the "China threat" narrative, Washington looks to highlight its "uniqueness" in regional affairs, Li told the Global Times on Monday. "This fear of stability reflects a distinct characteristic of the US approach to China-India relations, with the aim of creating regional turmoil to serve its own strategic interests," Li said. With efforts from both sides, the relationship between China and India has been thawing. In the first time in five years, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their formal talks in October 2024 on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit, a move that has strategic significance for the recovery of China-India ties after the border tensions. In December 2024, the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing where six points of consensus were reached. Both sides positively evaluated the resolution and reaffirmed the need to continue implementing the agreement. In managing its relationship with the US and China, Qian believes India may seek a balance between the two powers. India hopes to break the deadlock with China on border issues; while also seeking to engage in more pragmatic economic cooperation with China to promote its own economic development. Moreover, India's efforts to improve ties with China reflect its strategic considerations to hedge against the uncertainties with the upcoming new US administration, Qian said. "India possesses enough strategic wisdom not to be easily exploited by the US," added Li, referring to India's long-standing tradition of non-alignment and a strong sense of independence. ⍐
